Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Double Trouble

Logan and Gabriel had their 9mos and 2.5yr check ups, respectively.

I forewarned Gabriel that he would have to take his shoes off at the doctor's office, but that he could keep his socks on. I was hoping to avoid the meltdown that would inevitably ensue for his weigh-in. He was cool with taking his shoes off when we got there, one tiny victory for me (he wants to wear his shoes ALL the time).

We got to the scale, which has fish stick-on's that he's supposed to step on. He. Freaked. Out. All the terrible two stereotypes rolled into one. He was crying, red faced, saying "no," going stiff, going limp and refusing to step on the scale. This behavior was repeated when they tried to measure his height.

He pulls the shy card when we get into the room. Standing as close to me as possible and trying to bury his head, ostrich-style, into my side. He was finally lured out with the "Pokey Little Puppy" book as the nurses were trying to warm him up a bit. He's calmed down and then we have to take his shirt/shorts off. Like the shoes, this kid loves to be clothed from head to toe. He would wear sweaters and long pants in the sweltering heat, if I would allow it. I was able to get the clothes off pretty easily, with minor complaints.

Our pediatrician came in with her big smile and Gabriel goes into red alert mode. He stiffens up and looks at her cautiously, being silent. Then she dared to listen to his heart/breathing with the stethoscope and he announced, "I want my shirt back on!" The crying ensued, quickly followed by the holding of breath, which created the red face. After checking Logan first, she was able to listen to Gabriel.

During these episodes, Logan sat in the stroller, grinning, drooling and baby-talking the entire time.

The rest of the appointment went smoothly, until the shots. She gave Gabriel his shot first. He tensed up and cried for about 1 minute, tops. Logan cried for about the same amount of time. They both did great and stopped crying relatively soon after the poke. Dramatic Gabriel had to draw out the pity, though. On the way out, he did a sort of leg-drag when he walked. Pulling his "shot" leg behind him as he walked slowly. It was pretty funny.

Otherwise, they are two healthy boys. They are both developing wonderfully and are a good weight/height for their ages. Every day is an adventure with these little guys!